Friday, July 15, 2011

Lovely Links: Middle of Summer Edition

One of my favorite things in the summertime is harvesting fresh berries from our raspberry bushes. This year we're getting a ton of them. It's my sort of gardening consolation because the rest of my garden is stressing me out. More on that in another post...that is, if I can write about it without having a meltdown. Why must my plants be so stubborn?

Anyway, my Internet was out for a good portion of the week (which ended in me having to spend way more time than I needed to with some technician in the Philippines who kept making sure that I knew what an ethernet cable was. Grr.), so I haven't had a chance to post. Plus, summer is a busy time and things seem to take longer when it's hot. So, I decided this would be a great time to post a few summery links I've come across in the last few weeks. Enjoy!

Creamy Lemon Popsicles -- Nest
Last summer I wrote all about making your own popsicles, asserting that homemade ones are just as good, if not better, than the storebought variety. This recipe for creamy lemon popsicles serves as proof of this fact. Make these popsicles. Lemons, milk, cream, sugar -- how can you go wrong with that combination?

Peas! -- Tend
My first crop of peas were kind of productive (I'll be planting the second crop soon) and we've enjoyed them. This post from Tend (one of my new favorite blogs) features a recipe for homemade stock using pea pods. Pea pods! Why have I never thought of using the leftover, empty pea pods in stock before? It was a sort of lightbulb moment for me when I read about that.

Chewy Coconut Lime Sugar Cookies -- The Girl Who Ate Everything
A few weeks ago, I mentioned a recipe for lemon sugar cookies (yum!). Since then, I've realized that my favorite homemade cookies are citrus-infused sugar cookies. I'm addicted to them. They're dangerous to have around the house. I found this recipe for coconut lime sugar cookies (GASP!) and I'm going to report that they're just as delicious and dangerous as the lemon sugar cookies. There's something so fresh and summery about them, too.

Bubble Refill Container -- Come Together Kids
This is genius, really. A container with a dispenser, filled with bubble solution. Why didn't I think of this? Plus, this post is great because it has recipes for homemade bubble solution (Buying bottles of bubble solution at the store is a rip-off. Don't do it.). I've never used glycerin or corn syrup in my homemade bubbles (just dish soap and water for us), but I'm going to give it a try and see if it makes it any better.

Sidenote: the recipes in this post call for Dawn dishwashing soap. I've also seen recipes recommending Joy dishwashing soap. Although I buy the eco-friendly stuff for our dishes, I buy whatever's cheapest for bubble solution. Anyone out there have an opinion on what soap works best for bubbles? Just thought I'd ask.

Perfection: The Thief of Good Enough -- Simple Mom
This post arrived in my mailbox today. Oh boy, did I need it. I've always struggled with the paralysis that comes with perfectionism (see the aforementioned garden angst). Perfectionism can affect all aspects of our lives -- including attempts to live frugally and simply. A good read for just about anyone -- but especially me.